Hinano Yado Chitose

I’ve stayed at many Accommodations, but this one felt truly original and made for a memorable stay. The meals were on the smaller side, but everything was delicious—local specialties and unique dishes using wild mountain vegetables, all carefully prepared with locally sourced ingredients. For breakfast, I also enjoyed the signature white rice along with a wide variety of toppings to go with it. As others have mentioned, the Onsen has a distinctive aroma and very salty water, and I’m glad I visited for that experience as well. One point for improvement: I wanted to enjoy the high-quality bath multiple times, but since we had to bring the bath towel from the Room each time, we ended up reusing the same one repeatedly. It would be great if bath towels were also provided in the public bath area.

Stayed in a room with a private bath, No Meals Included. With tatami flooring throughout the building, the large public bath, and the standalone open-air “Tsukimi-no-Yu” moon-viewing bath, getting around inside was very comfortable. Since it was No Meals Included, the Accommodation provided information about the Onsen town at check-in. There were places I wanted to visit, but the private bath was so perfectly adjusted that I didn’t feel like going out.The reason I ended up with No Meals Included was that I didn’t confirm carefully enough when booking through IKYU, but thanks to that I was able to fully enjoy the in-room bath and was completely satisfied. The source water is said to be very hot, so perhaps only a small amount is added, but even early in the morning when temperatures dropped (with the outer door of the private bath left open—semi open-air), it stayed at the same comfortable temperature as at night. Many Accommodations have cooler water by morning (which seems natural), so this was surprising—perhaps due to skilled hot-spring management.After soaking in both the large public bath and Tsukimi-no-Yu, you won’t want to go outside. Next time, I’ll make sure it includes meals before making a Reservation.